ZAKIR AND I - REFLECTIONS AND REMINISCENCES

Zakir Hussain is no more. Perhaps one of the greatest percussionists this world has produced and whose music has left a lasting legacy across the globe and across musical genres has finally been elevated to the lofty heights of the pearly gates of heaven, the heights to which he spent a lifetime elevating all of us with his music.

Reams have been written about his indoctrination into the Tabla as a child, the amalgamation of cultures in his house and the various people who have shaped his life and his musical experiences - his father, mother, wife and co-artists. Even though our paths never crossed on a personal level, I would like to pause and reflect a bit on what Zakir has personally meant to me over the years.

My first exposure to Zakir was through the excellent thirteen part series “Sadhana” produced by Hariprasad Chaurasia and aired on Doordarshan. It was the late 80s, Zakir was in his 30s and had already become a global phenomenon. Prefixed with a lovely introduction from Shashi Kapoor and due to the largesse of modern technology, that episode can thankfully still be savored here - (Sadhana - Zakir Hussain). What struck me about that documentary was how grounded he was and how he still had that wide-eyed wonder about music and wanting to be an eternal student despite already being a global superstar and celebrity - something that is so critical for a musician and music student. This groundedness and humility and wide-eyed wonder about music is a recurring theme that is associated with Zakir that he retained till the very end.

After that, I continued to follow his music when possible, though the absence of YouTube at that time and me being in South India made it a tad challenging. However later in life, I was privileged enough to listen to him live three times - accompanying Ustad Ali Akbar Khan in Tucson, through his percussion ensemble Tabla Beat Science, and most recently in a memorable concert with Ustad Shahid Parvez Khan on the sitar. What was eye-opening to me in these performances was the maestro’s sense of time and space and belonging. With Ustad Ali Akbar Khansahib and Ustad Shahid Pervez, he was the consummate accompanist, staying strictly within the boundaries of what we call “Pakkavadya Dharma” - the defined boundaries of an accompanist. In the Tabla Beat Science Drum ensemble, he was the centerpiece, the showman, the main artist, yet made sure everyone else in the ensemble were given their space and respect to showcase their musical expressions. Again, the mark of a true artist - artistry, erudition and humility all going hand in hand.

Perhaps it was some kind of a premonition, but recently I ordered and read the one authoritative book on his life - “Zakir Hussain - A Life in Music” - authored by Nasreen Munni Kabir. In the book, he talks about some of the elemental and existential challenges of growing up in financially challenging circumstances, of being made to eat separately in the kitchens while the so called elite cognoscenti were savoring their meal outside, and then being called out to perform for them, and of the heartbreak of losing his sister and father within hours of each other. Maybe it was these experiences that made him strive all his life to elevate percussion as an art form and ensure that it was given the respect it deserved on the concert stage. He refused to perform in gatherings where there was food and drink being served, and in one memorable recent program with Hariharan, strongly berated the organisers for making noise and not maintaining the decorum of the performance hall.

One way of defining the legacy of great artists is by their “Shishya Parampara”, the number of students that they have brought forth to continue to propagate the art from. While his extremely arduous touring schedule of about 165 concerts a year may have made it challenging for him to be a consistently dedicated teacher, his annual workshops in the Bay Area with about 50-60 students were booked months in advance and abounded with folklore about how at the age of 65, Zakir could sit for 5 hours at a stretch without getting up while all the students struggled to do so.

I would like to conclude with two of my favorite stories about Zakir. Vid.Palghat Mani Iyer is considered perhaps the greatest ever mridangam player, and his genius lay in producing disciples in multiple states in India who went on to become some of the greatest mridangists. And yet, whether true or not, one of the most enticing tales we grew up on was on how in the 70s Ustad Alla Rakha sent his son Zakir to Mani Iyer to learn some of the intricacies of South Indian drumming. This is just one of the stories that shows how open Zakir was to syncretic musical relationships resulting in his lifelong collaboration with different genres such as Carnatic music, Fusion, Jazz, Symphony and even Film Music.

Finally, my own guru Vid.Neyveli Narayanan had this heartfelt story to share about Zakir. He was due to perform with Zakir at Shanmukhananda, Bombay, and apparently in the green room, there was only one chair. So Narayanan Sir, having arrived first, dutifully sat on the floor. In walked the Ustad a few moments later and despite Sir’s persistent insistence, determinedly sat on the floor with him and refused to occupy the single chair in the room. What better showcases the humility and the respect to the artform that ultimately made Zakir perhaps - dare I say - the greatest tabla player of our generation?

One grows up fantasizing about one’s idols. One of my most frequent fantasies was about sharing the stage with Zakir Hussain. Alas these are just fantasies, outside the realm of the majority of us mere mortals. Rest in peace Zakir Bhai, the happiness you have provided the world through your music will continue on for eternity. Maybe it is time for all of us to rise up and say - “Wah Ustad, Wah….Arey Huzoor, Wah Zakir Boliye…..”

Music - A Language without Barriers

Ref: http://homes.soic.indiana.edu/donbyrd/InterestingMusicNotation.html

Recently, this past April, there was a Sanjay Subramanyan Carnatic music concert in Phoenix. This being his first U.S tour after he was felicitated with the prestigious Sangeetha Kalanidhi award in Dec 2015, this tour, in my mind, was almost akin to a Rajasuya Yagna, a celebration of the coronation and anointment of the chosen one! And the "King" in this case certainly did not disappoint. His concert had all the trademarks of a typical Sanjay concert - high energy renditions of Krithis, excellent variety of Ragas/Composers as well as the wholesome support from Sri S.Varadarajan (Violin) and Sri.Neyveli Venkatesh (Mridangam) that we have come to expect. 

After the concert, though, there was a slightly unusual, if not unexpected occurrence, going by recent trends. Multiple people came to me and said "Too Many Tamil Songs"! This really got me thinking because yes, on the one hand, every other song or every third song in the concert had been a Tamil song. But on the other hand, isn't the whole purpose of music to be able to transport the listener, albeit temporarily, to a higher rarefied plane of spirituality and joy, while transcending the mundane man-made differences of language, geography, caste, creed etc.?

To his credit, Sanjay himself has been extremely open about his positive preference to promote Tamil Songs, Tamil Composers and Tamil Literature. In his Presidential Speech, he said, and I quote - "I get truly excited, when I can enjoy the honeyed nectar of the Tamil language, when set to the beautiful Ragas and Thalas of our music". And in subsequent interviews as well, he has emphasized the same point while drawing references to the Tamil Isai movement of the 40s and 50s. However, just like the reactions I received after the concert, I have also seen people in Bangalore for example, where I hail from, complain and talk dismissively about certain musicians because of their predilection for singing more Tamil songs. And I am sure that this is the case in other regional centers as well.

For the sake of argument, if we were to flip the script by 180 degrees, should Tamilians say "Too many Telugu Songs" due to having been subjected to years of compositions by the Trinity? What of the Kannadigas and Malayalees - whose compositions typically get relegated to the Thukkada section (the tail end) of the concerts, though Purandara Dasa is veritably considered the father of Carnatic music, and Maharaja Swathi Thirunal is one of the greatest multi-lingual composers, almost on the same level as the Trinity? 

Ariyakudi Ramanuja Iyenger specialized in Tamil Thevarams and the Thiruppavai, but was known to balk when anyone asked him for a program consisting only of Tamil compositions, for he held the Trinity and especially Thyagaraja in very high esteem. And each of the three ladies who are considered the holy trinity of female performers in Carnatic music brought forth different composers and languages to the limelight. Smt.M.S.Subbulakshmi specialized in Annamacharya compositions in Telugu, Dr.M.L.Vasanthakumari popularized several Purandara Dasa and Haridasa compositions in Kannada, and Smt.D.K.Pattammal brought several of the Divya Prabandhams of the Alvar saints in Tamil to the forefront.

To consider another angle, let us take the case of Western Classical Music. The major classical composers by language have been in German (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Handel), Italian (Vivaldi, Paganini, Puccini) French (Chopin, Debussy) and Russian (Tchaikovsky, Stravinsky, Rachmaninoff). But Western Classical Music has one major advantage over Indian Classical music in that it is predominantly instrumental. So the language of the composition itself becomes relegated to the background within the complex instrumentation of the composition, and hence an instrumental composition by Mozart would be just as well embraced in Russia or Spain as Tchaikovsky would be in Germany or Italy. That being said, Western Classical Music does have vocal forms such as the Cantata, Oratorio and Opera, and it is probably safe to assume that an Italian Opera would probably be much more popular and well received in Italy as would a Russian Opera in Russia due to the inherent relationship between the audience and the language. 

So what does this all mean? My personal perspective - I would prefer the Trinity's compositions  to encompass the majority of a Carnatic concert, because they have withstood the test of time and are universally recognized  across boundaries, geographies and languages. Based on where the concert is being held, interspersing these with the compositions of composers in the local vernacular would probably be ideal, so that the common man who may or may not understand all the musical intricacies is also satisfied to the brim. But I firmly believe that it is ultimately the language of Music that truly touches the soul, breaks down barriers and transports us to the the ethereal realms, not the words in between. 

The Nectar called Lalgudi

The Lalgudi Bani has a spellbinding effect on those who listen to it, cutting across cultures and geographies.This unique style created by the maestro Late Shri Lalgudi Jayaraman , emphasizes the lyrical beauty of the song, giving utmost importance to the alapana, neraval (repetitions of a single phrase) and laya, while singularly highlighting every rasa and bhava. 

This past Friday, the music lovers in the Phoenix valley were given a delectable taste of this chaste Bani in the form of a Violin solo concert by Smt. Lalgudi Vijayalakshmi, accompanied by Sri.Patri Satish Kumar on the Mridangam and Sri K.V.Gopalakrishnan on the Khanjira. 

Being the fifth generation musician in the Lalgudi family, Smt.Vijayalakshmi has become a worthy torchbearer of the Lalgudi musical tradition. Having started her violin tutelage at the tender age of six under the watchful eyes of her perfectionist father, she has excelled in her own right as a soloist as well as an accompanying artist, along with playing several violin duet concerts with her brother Sri G.J.R.Krishnan. 

The beauty of the Lalgudi Bani is that it places a premium on first and foremost enhancing the lyrical and musical beauty of the composition. The complex violin techniques that enhance and amplify the latent emotion of the song are almost an afterthought, making it appear as though the violinist is completely at ease while playing. This concert was no different, with careful planning and execution having gone into every single composition that was delivered. 

The concert started with the famous Charukeshi varnam of Sri. Jayaraman and wove a spell around the listeners with a delectable selection of  ragas such as  KannadaGowla (Orajupu), Amritavahini (Sri Rama Padama) and Khamas (Sujana Jeevana). The main krithi was Ra Ra Rajeevalochana in Mohana, a masterpiece of Mysore Vasudevacharya. This was followed by a thundering Thani avartanam by Sri Satish Kumar and Sri K.V.Gopalakrishnan, with a detailed exploration of the Khanda Nadai (rhythm cycle of 5 beats). 

Despite not having much time after the Thaniavartanam as the auditorium had to be surrendered early due to some logistical issues, Smt.Vijayalakshmi played a short but delightful Ragam Taanam Pallavi in the raga Ranjini. During the ragamalika section, she interwove several beautiful and appropriate ragas including the rarely heard Rasikaranjini. This was followed by several listeners' requests, including Akhilandeshwari in Dwijavanti and the ubiquitous Mohana Kalyani Thillana of Sri.Lalgudi Jayaraman. 

This being the seventh annual Smt.Shakunthala Natarajan memorial concert, the valediction also matched the tenor of the program in words and emotion, in conveying a heartfelt thanks to the artists. What was extremely impressive and special to the Phoenix music lovers was the absolutely down to earth nature of all the artists who not only made a sincere attempt to honor almost all the listeners' requests, but also spent a lot of time after the concert talking to everyone and providing a number of musical insights and nuggets. 

The Lalgudi Bani is a very special Bani, which does not emphasize only the instrumentation techniques but instead places the beauty of the composition at the forefront. Smt. Vijayalakshmi's concert was definitely a true representation of this Bani, delivered with all the ingredients that make up the nectar called Lalgudi. Here's hoping that this tremendous musical tradition will be continued by several more generations of the family, and that the Lalgudi name stays on for ever. 

Music Competitions - Boon or Bane?

For the few of you who have been kind enough to read my earlier two posts of this blog still very much in its infancy, my apologies for the hiatus from the blogosphere. I had an opportunity to play Mridangam and Khanjira for two music programs at the end of February that took up some time in terms of preparation etc, but I am glad to say that the itch to write is very much alive and so here I am!

For a few years now, I have wanted to put down my thoughts about music competitions - particularly with such competitions nowadays becoming a very integral part of channel TRPs. Sanjay Subramanian, in his very erudite Presidential Address at the Music Academy in December 2015 makes a lighthearted, but telling reference about his experience with music competitions growing up, and about the experience being akin to stepping into a women's college when one went to such competitions, since the ratio of girls to boys in those competitions was something in the nature of 150:3!!!

I grew up in the 90s with TVS Sa Re Ga Ma that unearthed and unveiled some wonderful musical talent from across the country, not to mention heralding the onset of the baby faced, dulcet voiced Sonu Nigam who would rule the hearts and minds of Indians for years with his soulful and melodic renderings. In my mind, that was almost a perfect program in terms of the quality of the contestants, the choice of the lovely old hindi songs and the grace and dignity of the senior judges who came to the program - read Anil Biswas, Jagjit Singh, Hariharan, O.P.Nayyar and KalyanJi AnandJi to name a few. 

In recent times, Carnatic Idol on Jaya TV has become an extremely popular competition, and has managed to unearth some wonderfully talented young musicians such as Bharath Sundar and Sriranjani Santhanagopalan who are performing at a very high level. However, apart from the musical aspect of the program, everyone knows that it is also a reality show to a large extent - evidenced by the posturing of some the judges, At times, some of the interviews they conduct with the contestants almost take on the hue of a strict disciplinarian interrogating an errant student, and one can't but help wonder if the spirits of the youngsters might sometimes be crushed and broken by the critical feedback they receive. And the rumors that are becoming louder by the day about the shenanigans and backdoor parleys that happen at the Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana music competition are too mind-boggling to even contemplate for the average mind - with judges apparently openly favoring their students over other students etc. 

I say this from personal experience because I myself have less than pleasant memories of music competitions when growing up. The first of these was when I was in high school and applying for the Central Government scholarship in music. The judge was a very eminent senior Khanjira artist from Bangalore who shall remain unnamed and who has now also passed on. While he was a brilliant percussionist, I came to know later that he had a lot of nascent bitterness stored up in him due to the way the system had treated him and his father who was also a very eminent percussionist. So woe betide anyone who got on his wrong side, or if you were not a student of his. Even to this day, I clearly remember being aggressively heckled by him for incorrectly playing a 6 aksharam ending (Muktaya/Korvai), and I was just glad to bolt from there as soon as the Q/A was over, sweaty palms and palpitating heart in tow. 

The second indelible memory in my mind is the practical exam of my Vidwat examination which happened after a week of my giving my 12th grade examination. For the uninitiated, the Vidwat is one of the highest examinations in classical music conducted by the Indian Government. The 12th grade being the absolutely miserable high-pressure year that it is in our education system, I was so not mentally ready to take the examination. Anyway, the dates were scheduled and there was no getting out of it. Once again, I clearly remember the panel of 3 judges asking me repeatedly to play a korvai the exact same way 3 times without adding any variety of embellishment to it, which I found to be very frustrating at that time, and which I now find to be incredibly stupid on their part in hindsight.

The final straw that broke the camel's back, or in this case my spirit was the way I was again heckled for following along incorrectly for the Pallavi (the thematic main line of any song) that one of the judges sang. I was so incensed by his heckling that I put the question right back to him and asked him to delineate the pallavi for me then and there. I still remember him his flushed face turning crimson as he berated me for the question  and his subsequent comment - "come to my house and I will tell you all about Ratti Pallavis and Jatti Pallavis and any other types of Pallavis that you want...but don't ask me here because I am the examiner, and you are the student"!! To this day, I do not know what a Ratti or a Jatti Pallavi is, nor do I have any desire to know in light of my wonderful experience. However, I should convey my thanks to that examiner for ultimately not failing me in that Vidwat exam!

So why are competitions and music competitions necessary? If we consider Darwin's theory - it helps to separate and unearth the best of talent in any field. Sanjay in his speech also says that appearing and doing well in Music Academy competitions gave him strength and confidence to seriously pursue music. And I should add that for every less than pleasant example I have provided, there are probably many more positive instances of music students really benefiting from music competitions in becoming better and improving musically.

But what if the spirit of a youngster is so crushed by the feedback he receives that he gives up music altogether? Is it worth completely alienating kids especially in their formative stages from this wonderful art form due to some irresponsible frustrated judges who think it is their divine right to showcase and parlay their knowledge while making contestants appear in bad light due to their bloated egos? Competitions are the best looking-glass anyone can have to comprehensively assess oneself, understand ones weaknesses and work hard at them, But I make a clarion call here for the eminent musicologists and music judges the world over to handle young contestants tenderly with kid gloves. A lifelong enjoyment of music is the greatest gift we can give to the younger generations, not an abiding bitterness or trepidation towards this art form due to one or two rotten musical apples.  

Umayalapuram Sivaraman - Boundless Genius

On December 17th 2015, Umayalapuram Sivaraman Sir, Padmavibhushan, Sangeetha Kalanidhi, perhaps the greatest living percussionst of Carnatic classical music turned 80. Before we delve into what this really implies, for the second post in a row, I would like to acknowledge my friend Arjun and his excellent post on UKS Sir in his blog Sankirnam which has inspired me not only to create this blog but also share some very personal recollections of Sivaraman Sir. 

For people not familiar with Umayalapuram Sivaraman Sir, he is considered one of the greatest exponents of the Mridangam and Percussion in Indian Classical music and Carnatic Classical music. For those of us growing up in the 80s and with some exposure to Carnatic music and Mridangam, Umayalapuram Sivaraman was GOD. He was at the peak of his powers, the mellifluousness of his percussive notes competing directly with the melodic content of the main artist, if such a thing was ever possible. For the first time, the Mridangam became not only an "accompanying" instrument, but something that directly enhanced the melodic content and provided a unique percussive hue to the concert. And Sivaraman Sir reigned supreme in bringing the aesthetics of this divine instrument to the very forefront. 

I am not going to talk about Sivaraman Sir's dexterity and genius on the Mridangam here because for one, it is impossible to encapsulate his music in words, and secondly, in his blog post where he pays tribute to Sivaraman Sir, Arjun touches upon a number of aspects of Sivaraman Sir's playing, including providing a multitude of audio and video links to enhance the experience. I would also strongly suggest to everyone reading this to take some time and visit Umayalapuram80 which has a number of wonderful write-ups about Sivaraman Sir by several luminaries. What I am instead going to to do here is to jog down memory lane and share three very fond personal recollections of Sivaraman Sir which are really close to my heart, and which provide another shining insight into this peerless musician.

In the 80s and 90s, Ramanavami was still the premier music festival in Bengaluru, held during April-May when music and monsoon competed, so to speak. And the concerts were held in the grand old Fort High School, Chamarajapet under the aegis of the Sri Rama Seva Mandali which is probably one of the oldest, if not the oldest musical institution in Bengaluru. And Sivaraman Sir was in his pomp and reigned supreme during that time, capturing the hearts and minds of his listeners with his Mridangam, producing sounds hitherto never heard before.

My first recollection of Sivaraman Sir that has stuck in my mind is that during a major concert at the Fort High School (T.V.Gopalakrishnan, M.S.Gopalakrishnan, Sivaraman Sir and ghatam artist) he played an entire Thaniavartanam (percussion solo) together with the ghatam artist (whose name I have lamentably forgotten). And when I say together, I mean that he and the ghatam artist played simultaneously during the entire thani for about 10 minutes or so, rather than the usual individual solo segments that happen in the percussion solo!! Thinking back on it, I realize that for all I know, this presentation could have been pre-programmed between Sivaraman Sir and the ghatam artist. But to my young and impressionable mind at that time,  this was a revelation and an eye opener in the way he literally carried the ghatam artist on his shoulders, while never showing him in a poor light and instead adding a whole new dimension to the concept of Thaniavartanam.

Second recollection - fast-forward a few years into the 90s. I was still a high school/college going student, still high on Carnatic music, still lamentably lackadaisical in my own Mridangam practice. The month was May, the monsoon was in full force, and the stage was lit up with Sri Neyveli Santhanagopalan's brilliant rendition of Meenakshi Me' Mudam Dehi in Poorvi Kalyani after which he handed over the baton to Sivaraman Sir for the Thaniavartanam.

Now for people unfamiliar with concerts in India, there is a very unfortunate trend of segments of the audience getting up willy-nilly and going out of the auditorium at the beginning of the percussion solo to stretch their legs, get something to eat or use the restrooms. Not only is this disruptive to the artists, it is downright insulting to the percussionists who are beginning their solo. On this particular day, right at the beginning of the Thaniavarthanam, almost as if the Gods themselves had ordained, there was a massive downpour,  and the entire audience was firmly ensconced in the auditorium with nowhere to go! This must've provided some real inspiration to Sivaraman Sir, because the thani and the Khanda nadai (rhythm cycle of 5) that followed was just magnificent, mesmeric and mind-boggling!

Finally, a fond personal recollection which has stayed very close to my heart - which highlights the simplicity and warmth of Sivaraman Sir as well as the simplistic, no-frills demeanor of the majority of Carnatic music artists of yesteryear. My father, who also plays the Mridangam has always regarded Sivaraman Sir as his "Manasika  Guru" and has attended several lec-dems by him in Bangalore. After one memorable concert, as he was talking to Sivaraman Sir, out of the blue Sivaraman Sir said - "Vandi irukka?" (Do you have a car with you?). Upon my father replying in the affirmative, Sivaraman Sir came with us and we dropped him off at the New Modern Hotel (NMH) in Vishweshwarapuram For people not familiar with NMH in Bengaluru, it is one of those old school, no frills hotel which is by no means luxurious, but is preferred by several musicians because of the homely atmosphere and good food.

The very next day, Sivaraman Sir called, and came home as he wanted to speak to my father regarding some legal matters etc., which is when he memorably told my father -  "I am a Mridangist who is also a lawyer, and you are a lawyer who is also a Mridangist!". Those couple of hours he spent at our house, partaking some upma, and enlightening us with his humor, wit and warmth will remain with me for the rest of my life. Several years later, when my father had occasion to meet him in Phoenix, he warmly recollected coming to our house.

I am very proud that I also now belong to the "Parampara" or lineage of Sivaraman Sir, since my guru Sri Neyveli Narayanan is his student as well. In fact, I would go so far as to say - what Sir Don Bradman is to batting or Jack Nicklaus is to golf or Muhammad Ali to Boxing, Sivaraman Sir is to Mridangam - perhaps the "Ultimate Mridangist". Here's hoping that the almighty bestows upon him a long life and many more decades of enthralling and educating all of us.  

The First Step

Welcome! After a lot of dawdling in my mind for months regarding putting pen to paper, I am finally taking the first step. I would like to straight off credit my friend Arjun and his excellent post on the legendary Mridangist Sri Umayalapuram Sivaraman in his blog Sankirnam for having finally inspired me to make this blog  a reality. 

As of this moment in time and space, I intend this blog to be an expression of my thoughts regarding Music (and more specifically Carnatic Music), Writing and any other facet of the Fine Arts that might catch my fancy. Of course, the mind being a fickle servant, all of this can change in an instant due to the vagaries of life. 

So what is Chaturashram and why Chaturashram? For anyone having even a smidgeon of knowledge regarding rhythm cycles in music, Chaturashram refers to the universal 4 beat rhythm cycle on which almost 90% of the songs and compositions of any musical genre are based. The etymology of Chaturashra can also be traced to the Sanskrit word for the number 4 - Chatur or Chatvari. 

Coming to the question of "why", I have had an endless fascination with the number 4 throughout my life for a multitude of reasons. If Sunday is considered as the "first" day of the week in many cultures (Adityavara, Adi=Beginning), Wednesday has always been the "best" day of the week for me, not to mention the insignificant fact of yours truly also being born on a Wednesday! The number 4 has always represented stability, continuity and consistency for me, the "evenness" of the number cancelling out any rough edges or "oddities" so to speak. 

I have been blessed to learn and study the Mridangam, the primary percussion instrument in Carnatic or South Indian Classical Music, and the first lesson that a student learns from his Guru or teacher are the 4 fundamental strokes Tha, Dhi, Thom, Nam. Taking this one step further, in the rhythm cycles or "Talas" in Carnatic music, every beat is considered an "Akshara", and each Akshara typically has 4 sub-units called "Matras". And finally, a thorough mastery of the "Chaturashra gati" is considered a strong pre-requisite before exploring other rhythm patterns such as Trishram(3), Mishram(7), Khandam(5) and Sankirnam(9). 

I could go on on rambling about the significance of 4 in my life with absurd inanities such as owning 4 watches, always trying to find the 4th parking spot in any parking lot and lamenting the hours spent with the comb in trying to make my forehead resemble a rectangle. But at the end of the day, 4 is the number closest to my heart, and something that pushes me to strive for that even-keel pace of life that I constantly covet. So join me on this journey of exploring Chaturashram and the even-keel pace of life together!